Leader accused of being involved in a ‘cover up’

ROCHDALE council leader Richard Farnell has been accused of being involved in a ‘cover up’ of historic child abuse at Knowl View School, a national inquiry has been told.

A barrister acting on behalf of victims also argued he had not told the truth in evidence earlier this week.

Laura Hoyano, counsel on behalf of the victims, told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse it was ‘inconceivable’ Coun Farnell – who was also council leader when much of the abuse was taking place – did not know about it at the time.

But if he did not, she said, he was guilty of ‘willful blindness’ pointing to ‘a cover up at the level of the leadership of the borough council’.

She also highlighted testimonies describing him as ‘intimidating’ and a ‘bully’ and said his inaction more than 25 years ago made him ‘culpable’.

At the same time she slated both Coun Farnell and his Lib Dem successor as leader, Paul Rowen, for failing to apologise to victims, adding that they needed ●●Former council leader Paul Rowen (inset) was also criticised for appointing Cyril Smith to be a governor at Knowl View residential school to take ‘personal responsibility’.

The explosive accusations were made during the summing up of the inquiry’s Rochdale hearings, which have included forensic examination of the town hall’s actions in the early to mid-1990s.

Earlier in the week Coun Farnell, who was also in charge between 1986 and 1992 when boys were being abused at the school, repeatedly told the inquiry he had not heard about it until the last ‘two or three years’.

But Ms Hoyano suggested the inquiry may find he was not telling the truth.

Pointing out that his deputy leader and education chair, Mary Moffat, had been ‘deeply concerned’ and ‘very, very well briefed’ about problems at Knowl View at the time, she suggested Coun Farnell must have been informed.

“It is inconceivable that Coun Moffat, who sadly has now deceased, as deputy leader and as the chair of the education committee would not have informed her party leader of a matter so critical,” she said.

In 1991 psychologist Valerie Mellor was commissioned to write a report on the welfare of boys at the school, a report Coun Farnell says he knew nothing about.

But Ms Hoyano pointed out the director of education at the time, Diana Cavanagh, had testified it would have had to have had financial sign-off by the leader.

“Mrs Cavanagh testified that the commissioning of the report from Mrs Mellor and the appointment of a headteacher at Knowl View had to go through the policy and resources committee, chaired by Mr Farnell, because it involved financial expenditure which was basically off-budget,” she said.

“So the background would have been explained to justify it. In relation to the Mellor report, she said she could not imagine that it could be commissioned without the leader’s knowledge because there would be financial consequences.

“So to conclude, there was a system in place. There had to have been a catastrophic failure of that system for Farnell not to have known about Knowl View.

“Moreover, Mr Farnell told [the inquiry] he had changed the system now that he is back in charge as leader of the council, so this could never happen again on his watch.

“Well if that is the case, he could and should have done so in the period of 1988 to 1992. His failure to do so, on his own account, would also be culpable.

“We submit that it is extremely implausible that Farnell knew nothing about Knowl View.”

Pointing to a lack of documentary evidence from the time proving Coun Farnell was informed, she added: “He has in effect exploited multiple losses of Rochdale council records to assert - as counsel to the inquiry put it - complete and utter ignorance of what was happening under his nose.

“Consequently we submit that it is open to this inquiry to find that Mr Farnell did not give truthful evidence that he did not know about endemic child sexual abuse at Knowl View.

“If he did not know, then he must have been wilfully blind.

“We heard Mr Farnell described by several witness as being intimidating and indeed a bully.

“The officers had no motivation personally to keep such damaging information from Mr Farnell. He, on the other hand, potentially had a motive of deniability.

“It could be helpful to him, arguably, if he ensured he did not know inconvenient truths. If that is the case, then that constitutes willful blindness and that, we submit, constitutes a cover up at the level of the leadership of the borough council.”

In a scathing summary of evidence given to the hearing over the last few weeks, Ms Hoyano was also deeply critical of former Lib Dem leader Mr Rowen, who succeeded Coun Farnell in May 1992.

Mr Rowen had appointed the late former MP Cyril Smith to be governor at Knowl View in 1994 out of personal convenience, she said.

It has emerged that Smith had been abusing boys there for years.

“He declined to read any papers regarding Knowl View which had been offered to him in his first week in office because he thought wrongly that the problems were historic,” said Ms Hoyano.

“So he expected [director of social services] Ian Davey to deal with child sexual exploitation at Knowl View and never followed up to see if it had been - and we know it was not.

“He appointed Cyril Smith to be a governor at Knowl View because it suited him personally, in order to get him off his own back to stop him being, in his words, a ‘back seat driver’ with council business, giving Cyril something to do once he had left parliament.”

Praising senior officers such as Mrs Cavanagh and current director of childrens services Gail Hopper for their ‘professionalism’, Ms Hoyano said victims were ‘deeply disappointed’ no politician had taken responsibility for the scandal.

She said: “In conclusion, looking back, we see the past alive in the present for the men who have testified before you. Their continued suffering is palpable. We see the appalling consequences of not acting at all or of acting ineffectually.

“It is deeply regrettable that no politician appearing before has seen fit to apologise. This happened on their watch. We submit, on behalf of the victims of Knowl View that they should be held personally accountable by this inquiry.”

Friday marked the final day of evidence to the Rochdale part of the national inquiry, which is looking at child abuse in public life dating back decades.

The Rochdale hearings have focused on abuse that took place at boys’ hostel Cambridge House and residential school Knowl View including by Cyril Smith - between the 1960s and 1995.